British Pornography Traffic Falls Following Identity Checks, Yet Virtual Private Network Use Surges, Reports Regulator
Access to pornography websites in the United Kingdom has seen a notable drop after the roll-out of mandatory age verification earlier this year, as reported by the nation's communications regulator. At the same time, the adoption of tools designed to circumvent these barriers has risen.
Immediate Drop in Visitor Figures After Rule Enforcement
The enforcement of age vetting on 25 July led to an immediate reduction in visits to leading pornography sites, such as the most visited provider in the UK. Data reveals that user traffic to this site in August reached 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.
In total, visitor numbers to the ten most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a “lower level” than before the end-of-July implementation date. Later data indicates this decline in site visits continued past August.
Sharp Increase in VPN Usage to Bypass Checks
In response to the new regulations, use of VPN software—which can get around location-based restrictions by masking internet traffic via another nation—more than doubled after 25 July.
User numbers reached a high at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from around 650,000 users prior to the verification were introduced. Subsequently, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has afterwards steadily declined, with latest figures at approximately 900,000. It added that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for pornography services.
Teenagers Taking Action to Harmful Material
Elsewhere, the watchdog's report revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering harmful content online. Actions ranged from reporting the material to the site to muting the person who posted it.
This survey was carried out prior to new regulations took effect that compel social media companies to stop children from accessing dangerous content, such as material related to self-harm and adult material. The most common way teenagers encountered such content was by looking through a social media timeline, suggesting that recommendation systems were serving harmful material.
Government Announce Review of Pornography Laws
Separately, the ministers stated it would examine the criminal law governing pornography to assess whether it is effective in the modern online world.
“The review will look into the efficacy of the current law in relation to making illegal, among other things, harmful depictions of incest and any types of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” said a government official.
Campaigners Call For Stricter Digital Regulations
Advocates for tighter regulation of online pornography have urged the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote abuse by casting young-looking performers dressed as children.
Proposed changes to legislation aim to:
- Ban pornography where adults are impersonating children, often recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the crime of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an adult acts the part of a child.
- Introduce stricter controls on familial abuse pornography, which studies indicates is heavily recommended by platform algorithms.
- Introduce additional restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to possess tools designed to create private images without permission.
- Establish a new, separate regulatory body to conduct spot checks on pornography sites and act on reports of illegal content.
The campaigners argue that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have existed for years offline finally are extended to the online sphere.
